


The Hill We Die On

by postinghumorouslyposthumously



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cabin, Crushes, Horror, Humor, Hunting, M/M, Monsters, Some angst, Teen Horror Movie AU, Trapped on a mountain, Underage Drinking, Underage Kissing, Violence, cabin in the woods au, everyone is the ages of 17-20, horror movie au, some gore, weird stuff on a mountain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-10-25 10:21:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17723345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/postinghumorouslyposthumously/pseuds/postinghumorouslyposthumously
Summary: Six kids go to spend a week in an isolated cabin on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. What’s the worst that could happen?The Supernatural Teen Horror Movie AU you never knew you needed until now.





	1. CHAPTER ONE: The Cabin

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to The Hill We Die On, and to the establishing chapter one.

Charlie’s breathing had taken on that specific kind of terrified, frantic, horror movie quality that was only complemented by the fact that she was sprinting through the woods, fresh cut stinging on her cheek.

She made the mistake of craning her neck and looking back over her shoulder, which, of course, triggered the aftereffect of looking over one’s shoulder where one is now unable to go longer than four seconds without turning and looking over their shoulder. Not particularly advantageous for someone trying to run through the woods in the dark without falling, or having the thing chasing her catch up. 

The ground moved faster underneath her than her feet seemed to be. A decline of the ground was quickly steepening. Charlie heard branches snapping behind her. Feet pounding the Earth, and the unmistakable hustle of  _ something  _ moving  _ fast _ . She looked back over her shoulder once more, and tripped over a tree root jutting oh so  _ conveniently  _ from the ground. Her downhill run quickly became a downhill  _ sprawl _ . She screamed. Her body flipped. Her side struck the Earth. The inertia of her prior brisk jog and the decline kept her going. Rolling. Falling. Her head hit something hard that made the inside explode like one of those white puffy dandelions, and then all her problems fell away too. 

 

_ 4 DAYS EARLIER  _

 

Dean struggled to turn the key in the lock. 

“Need some help there, bud?” Gabe asked mockingly from the semi-circle that had formed around the door and Dean, spectators of his struggle. 

Dean sent a sarcastic thumbs up, then a very sincere bird over his shoulder, and continued to war with the lock. After a few valiant minutes in which the lock put up a good fight, but in the end was no match for Dean’s strength and wit, he got the key to turn, and he shouldered his way inside the cabin. 

He held the door open, and grinned smugly as the rest entered. 

They filed in, and grouped up in the living room, all of them looking around in various degrees of impressed admiration.

“This place is sick, Gabe,” Sam admonished, turning to look at the blond man and grinning a moment while raising an eyebrow, “how’d you find it?” 

Gabe waved a hand dismally. 

“Oh, my aunt and uncle are loaded. I asked my cousin for the keys.” 

Cas stopped inspecting a creepy taxidermy squirrel on the mantle above the fireplace, and turned to Gabe. 

“We’re allowed to be here though, right? You got permission from your aunt and uncle?” 

Gabe pulled his lips into a thin line and squinted.

“Sure,” he said. 

Cas rolled his eyes. 

Dean walked over to the couch and dropped his bag on the floor before falling back onto the cushions with a satisfied sigh. 

Charlie pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket. 

“Uh...does this place have wifi?” She asked, holding up the mobile. 

Kevin took a step forward. 

“Yeah, I was kinda wondering that as well, actually.” 

“Same,” Thirded Sam. 

Dean rolled his eyes, and turned over onto his side on the couch. 

“Does two miles up a mountain in the middle of nowhere  _ sound  _ like it comes with wifi?” Gabe inquired of the three blinking eyes standing in a row holding their phones. 

“...Yes?” Charlie asked hopefully. 

Dean sat up. 

“Come on guys, no wifi, no phones, no computers...just good old fashioned fishin’, huntin’, hikin’, and breathin’ in fresh, mountain air,” he said. 

“Uh, Dean, you know “ _ no wifi _ ” also means “ _ no porn _ ”, right?” Sam asked. 

Dean smirked, “tell that to my playboy magazines.” 

Sam grimaced, and walked away. 

“I’m going to find a room,” he said. 

“Don’t go stealing the master bedroom, you hear me, Sammy!?” Dean exclaimed after him, pointing an accusatory finger towards his brother. 

 

As it turned out, there were four bedrooms in the cabin. One twin, and three with queen size beds. 

“Sammy and Kevin’ll get the twin,” Dean said immediately after they had all scoped out the room situation. 

Sam and Kevin both sputtered indignantly at being placed without any inquiry of their opinion. Dean gave them a look. 

“Come on, youngests always get the twin.” 

Sam and Kevin both resigned themselves to their fate. 

“I’m not sharing a room with any of you,” Cas said immediately. 

Dean pretended to pout. 

“Aw, come on, Cas. You really tellin’ me you don’t want none of  _ this _ ?” Dean asked, gesturing to his whole body. 

Cas said nothing, just stared at him, brows furrowed. 

Dean nodded once. 

“Oo’kay,” he said, turning to look at Charlie and extending his arms from his sides in invitation, “Charlie, save my ego. Be my roomie?” 

Charlie snorted. 

“And be forced to cuddle with you all night while you snore like a drunken animal?” She asked incredulously. Dean glanced off to the side for a moment, then nodded expectantly. Charlie’s face broke out into a grin. “Fuck yeah!” She exclaimed. 

Dean grinned, “Awesome!” 

 

There were two couches in the living room, forming an “L” shape around the coffee table in front of the fireplace. The sun had sunk below the mountain while they were scoping out the cabin, leaving them in fast fading light outside and the light from the frankly over the top wrought iron chandelier above them. Dean loved it. 

“Let’s get a fire going, guys,” Dean said as everyone moved back into the living room. 

Charlie walked over to the fireplace, and pulled open the screen to reveal the empty pit. 

“With what?” She asked. 

“I saw a stack of wood by the shed out front. Bet my ass Cas bought paper towels at Walmart.” 

“Your welcome,” Cas answered, once again inspecting the taxidermy squirrel. 

Dean walked over to the front door by the kitchen, stopping to pull on his shoes. 

“I’m off to do some manly shit,” Dean said as he left the house, swinging the door open and slamming it behind him. 

Charlie snorted. Gabe pretended to swoon, falling onto the couch like a fainting maiden.  

 

It was eerily silent and still in the half darkness Dean walked through. His breath came out in puffy fog, the temperature dropping with the sun. 

The shed was a small structure twenty yards away from the house, and piled alongside it was a heaping stack of firewood. 

Dean gathered up two armfuls, making sure the wood wasn’t damp. Dean turned to go back to the house, then heard something behind him. He turned back around. The tree line was a mere ten feet away. He peered into the woods, unable to see anything. It was ten times darker under the canvas of the trees, and his eyes were barely adjusted to the quickly fading light there was left. He concentrated on his hearing, hyper aware of the wind rustling the trees and his own breathing. He couldn’t stop all the hairs from standing up on the back of his neck. 

“ _ Dean! _ ” 

He craned his neck to look over his shoulder. Cas was standing on the porch, looking out at him having just called his name. 

Dean looked back towards the woods. 

“ _ What’s wrong!? _ ” Cas shouted again, his voice carried by the cold. 

Dean shook his head, he turned around towards the house again. 

“ _ Nothin’! _ ” He called back, and started walking back. He sniffed, feeling his nose start to run. 

“Thought I heard somethin’,” he said to Cas when he was close enough to not have to shout. 

Cas frowned. 

“Did you?” He asked. 

Dean shrugged as he stomped up the steps, pausing on the porch in front of Cas. All the color had been drained from him in the darkness. 

“Probably just a squirrel,” he said with a grin. 

Cas hummed. Dean turned, and went back inside. Cas followed him without looking back.   

 

Dean took up the entirety of one couch, body once more horizontal. The other sat Cas, Gabe, and Sam. Kevin and Charlie at on the ground by the coffee table. They all nursed bottled beers and lazy limbs. A fire was crackling strongly in the fireplace in front of them

“We should play a game,” Charlie commented. 

“Spin the bottle anyone?” Gabe asked, waggling his eyebrows, lifting his almost finished bottle of bear. 

Dean choked. 

“Ew, my fucking brother’s here.” 

“Yeah, and I’m not kissing any of you bitches,” Charlie added. 

Dean scoffed, pressing a hand to his heart in mock hurt.

“Okay, well we gotta do something. My soul itches for entertainment,” Gabe said, then looked around. His gaze landed on Sam. He grinned. 

“Sam, Truth or Dare?” 

Sam rolled his eyes. 

“Is death an option?” 

“Come on, Sammy!” Dean exclaimed from his couch. Sam glanced towards him in annoyance, then sighed. 

“Truth.” 

“Boo, pussy!” 

Sam chose to ignore Dean. 

Gabe stuck his tongue into his cheek, and looked up, seemingly deep in thought. For about two seconds. 

“Who’s the first person you ever kissed?” 

Sam’s face immediately flushed red. Gabe’s grin widened. 

“ _ Ooh  _ hard hitting questions today, Gabe,” Charlie said sarcastically. Gabe waved his hand dismissively toward her without looking, eyes fixed on Sam. 

Sam looked uncomfortably off to the side, then back. Gabe raised an expectant eyebrow.

“Jess Howard...in fifth grade,” Sam said finally. 

Dean sputtered. 

“You never told me that!” He exclaimed, lunging into a sitting position. 

“It’s not like we made out or something! We just kissed once under the slide on the playground!” Sam said defensively. 

“How many other girls have you frenched and not told your own big brother about?!” Dean inquired, offended. 

Sam slumped back against the couch, groaning in annoyance. 

“We didn’t  _ french _ , Dean. We were  _ ten _ !” 

“Mmhmm...yeah, that’s what they  _ all  _ say.” 

Sam opened his mouth to reply, then snapped it shut again, shaking his head. 

Charlie sat up straighter. 

“Okay,  _ Gabriel _ , your turn,” she said, “Truth or Dare?” 

Gabe scoffed indignantly. 

“ _ Dare _ , duh.” 

Charlie grinned. 

 

“Okay…” Gabe said, pulling the last of the tomato soup out of his hair with a towel, joining the others once again in the living room. 

“Your turn, demon,” Gabe said, nodding his head towards the still snickering Charlie. 

Dean sat up immediately. 

“Ooh, hell yes. All me.” 

Charlie rolled her eyes. Dean rubbed his hands together. 

“Truth or Dare, lil’ sis?” 

Charlie narrowed her eyes at him, considering. 

“I’m no coward. Dare.” 

Dean grinned, hopped off the couch, and ran through the living room, into his and Charlie’s shared bedroom. 

Charlie looked around, expression forming a question mark. 

“What the fuck is he doing?” Charlie voiced the answerless question. 

“Something stupid I’m sure,” Sam responded. 

Dean came back a minute later, still grinning widely. He held a bottle of Fireball in his right hand by the neck. 

“Dare you to take a shot, Bradbury.” 

Charlie raised an eyebrow. 

Dean walked to the kitchen, and retrieved a red solo cup from the pack of them. He brought both items back to the living room, and twisted open the whiskey, pouring Charlie a generous shot of the liquid. 

“ _ Aw _ , Jesus Christ, Dean, you  _ know  _ I hate this stuff.” 

Dean grinned evilly. 

Charlie’s face screwed up as she took the cup from him, inhaled through her mouth, and down the contents of the cup, barely managing to swallow before breaking out into a coughing fit. 

Dean laughed, falling back on the couch with the bottle cradled to his chest. It took a moment for his laughter to die down, and when it did, he took a swig from the bottle without grimacing. He lowered the bottle, exhaling, to find that he had drawn the attention of everyone in the room. 

“What?” He asked, still smiling slightly from his laughter at Charlie’s fit. 

“Nothing, Dean,” Sam replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Dean felt the need to change the subject immediately. 

“Whose turn is it?” He asked. 

“Yours,” Charlie said, still looking like she had a sour lemon in her mouth. Or a mouthful of potent, cinnamony alcohol. 

“Ah, well...do ya even have to  _ ask _ ?” Dean chortled. 

 

Charlie’s shot of Fireball triggered an avalanche of several more. They brought out the other alcohol they had brought, courtesy of Dean and Gabe and...well Cas just brought two six packs, like an  _ adult  _ or something. 

Either way, Dean would forever blame it on said alcohol that he allowed  _ Charlie’s  _ phone to be the one connected to the Bluetooth speaker. Charlie’s playlists fucking  _ sucked _ . 

But once thoroughly intoxicated, the music started to matter a lot less. They danced around the living room, occasionally stubbing toes on furniture and each other. Dean laughed as he twirled Charlie, causing her to stumble. Then laughed harder when Charlie attempted to twirl him, being much shorter. Dean had to bend down and Charlie had to arch up on her toes. He felt the happiness bubbling inside him like fizz. It was so easy to let go of everything when you were so drunk and far away from it all. Up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere...Dean swore he’d live in a place just like this when he was older. After Sammy’d graduated and was off at Harvard or Yale or wherever his smart little brain took him.

Leaving Dean behind.

Well. 

Guess you can’t run from  _ all  _ your problems. 

 

Cas was the only one not shitfaced drunk by 3:00am. He stood off to the side, leaning heavily against the wall. He was tired from the drive there. Tired from the last few weeks at school. Tired from life in general. You know. 

Sam, Kevin, and Gabe were taking turns trying to do cartwheels behind the couch. Sam, ruddy cheeked and laughing slightly, went into it with only minor hesitance. Long limbs flailing in the air as he did a sort of graceless front flip and landed hard on his back. His very loud collision made everyone jump, including Dean and Charlie who were still dancing horribly on the other side of the couch. Everyone paused for a second, then burst out into laughter. 

Gabe’s attempt was next. He landed the cartwheel perfectly, and stood up proud, taking a bow at his cheering audience. Gabe stepped away from the gymnasts floor, and Kevin stepped up to try an attempt the drunken cartwheel himself, grinning widely in good humor. Sam and Gabe, however, were wandering away. Towards the kitchen where more booze was set up on the counter. Kevin awkwardly stopped before his cartwheel attempt, grin slipping off his face gradually. He stood awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, then slipped both hands into his pockets, attempting to look casual. 

Cas leaned his head back against the wall, and closed his eyes. 

 

Charlie and Dean were passed out in the living room by 4:30am. Kevin and Sam actually made it to their bedroom. Cas cleaned up a spilled bowl of popcorn from the floor. 

Gabe was, unfortunately, still awake. He sat with his back propped up against the same wall Cas had been standing against earlier. He lifted a red solo cup to his mouth and took a sip, then pushed his hand through his hair and started to speak. Cas stood up straight. 

“Just...fucking...did you  _ see  _ his  _ smile _ ?” Gabe whined, not looking towards Cas, who raised his eyebrows, not sure if the blond realized he was speaking to someone, who was just rambling to himself. 

“And his--his  _ stupid  _ tall...y...ness, and the way he...with the... _ eyes _ , God, just…” 

Cas continued to stand still, staring at the ranting man, watching as he struggled to construct sentences. Gabe took another sip from his cup, then finally seemed to realize Cas was still there when he looked over and his gaze caught. 

Gabe stopped. 

“I’m drunk,” Gabe said. 

“I can see that,” Cas replied, toneless. 

Gabe nodded matter of factly, looking into his cup. 

“Yup…” He said. 

Cas was never good with what others like to call “People Situations”. He wasn’t entirely sure this was one of those. Either way, Cas had no idea what to do. So, like a deer caught in headlights, or a possum, or...whatever…he just didn’t move. Like if he stood still enough he could make the situation less awkward. 

Gabe looked back up at him. 

“I’m not in love with Sam.” 

“...uh-huh, Cas replied, squinting at Gabriel. 

Gabe laughed, as though the thought was ludicrous. 

“That would be...that w-would just...ya know...” 

Cas waited. Finally, Gabe stopped stammering, and squinted his eyes at Cas. He struggled to his feet, managing not to spill any of the contents of his cup. He raised a finger pointing off to the right of Cas. 

“You didn’t see  _ nothing _ ,” Gabe told him. 

Cas grunted noncommittally. Gabe’s form relaxed, and he went to take another sip from his cup. Then, his eyes went wide, and he turned around, sprinting to the bathroom down the hall past the kitchen. Cas heard the faint sound of retching a moment later, and he grimaced. 

Cas turned, and looked at Dean, passed out on his stomach on the sofa.  _ It’s going to be a long week _ .

He saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He whipped around to look. Out the large window overlooking the front yard and the not-so-distant treeline, he had seen something glint. A shadow move past the window. 

Cas narrowed his eyes, once again unable to move from his spot. He felt an unreasonable anxiety start to pull his organs taut. He cleared his throat, and looked away from the window. Back at Dean, who muttered something, and brought his arm up to hug the pillow cushioning his head. Cas exhaled harshly, getting a grip on his minute fear. 

Probably just a trick of the dying fire. 

Cas pulled the afghan off the back of the couch and over Dean.


	2. CHAPTER TWO: The Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's hungover, but:   
> Cas and Dean go hunting,   
> Sam and Gabe have a fun chat,   
> Charlie has a bad dream,   
> and Kevin finds some four wheelers.

They took Cas’ truck. The vehicle they had used to get up the mountain, leaving the rest of their cars at the foot of it, everyone but Dean and Cas piling into the back and freezing their asses off until they got to the cabin. Now, Dean and Cas climbed in with the intent to hunt. 

Cas had been surprised when Dean was up at six O’clock in the morning and banging on his door like the guy  _ wasn’t  _ running on two hours of sleep and too many drinks the night before. Cas got up, got dressed, and trudged into the kitchen, accepting coffee and a mini muffin. Cas had never seen Dean so awake and excited this early in the morning in his  _ life _ . 

Ten minutes later, they were pulling away from the cabin with two shotguns, a backpack with a box of bullets, vests, earplugs, and protective glasses at their feet, and also a second backpack with lunch, water, and coffee. Because Cas had been smart enough to stop by Walmart before they got to the mountain, they actually had groceries and toilet paper in the cabin. 

Dean was quiet, fingers drumming against the steering wheel, a sign that he was still waking up. So was Cas. He savored the silence. The trees were dense, and the path narrow and rocky, making them bounce around a lot. Cas didn’t actually know where they were going. He’d also never been hunting before. But Sammy hated it, Charlie abhorred it, and Dean wasn’t after spending several hours alone in the woods with Gabriel. So that left Cas. He glanced over at Dean. Dean was wearing a black baseball cap, currently backwards. Cas didn’t know if he liked it, or hated it. 

 

Sam dug a bottle of aspirin out of his duffle bag. The fact that they had gotten  _ that  _ drunk on the  _ first  _ night was telling of what the rest of their nights at the cabin would be like. 

He left Kevin still asleep in his bed, and walked out to find some food. 

Sam winced as the sun smacked him in the face when he walked into the kitchen. He glanced at the time on the stove  _ 8:43am _ . Curse his early-rising nature. 

He went directly to the conglomeration of walmart bags taking up a good section of countertop near the fridge and started digging for something that didn’t make him want to throw up upon mere sight. 

 

The sun had so far done little to warm the frigid air by 9:00. Cas sniffed, nose running slightly with the cold. He and Dean walked through the forest quietly, holding guns low, not speaking. They had yet to see anything larger than a squirrel, but Dean had hoped for a deer. 

The woods around them would have been tranquil this morning, if a bit melancholy. A smidge ominous, especially in the cold. But the fact that they were indeed holding guns kind of put a stopper on tranquility. The plugs and headphones protecting Cas’s hearing ached slightly, and distorted his perception. Wanna see how fast you can fuck up a human being? Tamper with one of their senses. 

But it was fine, really. Cas didn’t mind all that much. He was enjoying himself. Enjoying the quiet, with Dean and...no one else but Dean. Cas breathed deeply.

  
  


Sam set his bowl of cereal on the coffee table, and left momentarily to walk back past the kitchen and down the hall to the bathroom. He opened the door, surprised to find that the light was already on. He stopped short, and then raised an eyebrow at the sight sprawled across the floor. 

Gabriel laid on his stomach, cheek squished against the tile, mouth partially open, one arm curled around the base of the toilet. 

Sam cleared his throat, hoping the sound would be enough to wake the passed out Gabe. He waited a second. 

“Gabe?” He asked. 

Gabe snored. 

Sam rolled his eyes, then nudged Gabe’s shin. The man groaned, eyes fluttering blearily. 

Sam smirked a bit in amusement. 

“Comfortable?” He asked. 

Gabe raised his head, eyes squinty, staring up at Sam. 

“What the hell-?” 

Sam crossed his arms. 

“Want some breakfast?” 

 

Cas was impressed at Dean’s so far upheld patience. It was a lot like watching Dean work on a car. The mindless focus that overcame him. Relaxed his shoulders and seemed to leave him unawares of time passing. So Cas was also surprised when Dean turned, pulled his headphones down to hang around the back of his neck, and said: 

“Hungry?” 

They stopped, and sat down against a tree. Dean dug two of the sandwiches out from one of the backpacks and offered one to Cas, as well as the thermos of coffee. 

“Thanks for coming with me,” Dean said as they started to eat. 

“‘Course,” Cas said, for lack of anything better. 

“I know it probably sucks to just walk around the forest at whateverthefuck in the morning,” Dean said, chuckling slightly as he looked down at the ground. Cas stared at him. 

“I’m enjoying myself,” he said. 

Dean looked over at him, deprecating smile falling off his face. 

“Good...I mean...yeah, I’m glad. Didn’t wanna, like, drag you out here or anything.” 

“Don’t remember being dragged,” Cas said, “besides, I know that you can’t get anyone else to come with you.” 

Dean shrugged. 

“I’d rather come out here with you, honestly.” 

Something did something in Cas’s stomach. Not quite like when you’re at the top of a roller coaster and then suddenly you’re rocketing downwards at insanely fast speeds, and not quite like how it feels when you realize that assignment was due  _ today _ , but...somewhere between those two. Yeah. 

Cas finished chewing his bite of sandwich and swallowed before he spoke. 

“Oh? I would have thought that you’d wanna take Sam...or Charlie, you know?” Cas said, looking down at his sandwich, picking at the crust with his fingernail.  

“You know you’re like...my best friend, right, Cas?” 

Cas paused. Then, he looked up. 

Dean stared back at him, sincere. Sad. Why sad? 

Then, Dean rolled his shoulders and looked away, like shrugging off a feeling. He closed the coffee thermos, and stuffed it back into the backpack. 

“You ready?” He asked, looking back at Cas. 

Cas cleared his throat. 

“Yeah,” he replied. 

 

Gabe, after rinsing his mouth with mouthwash, slumped down on the couch next to Sam. He ran his hands over his face, moaning slightly. 

“Who the fuck let me stay passed out on the bathroom floor all night?” He asked, pushing his hand back to rub his neck, grimacing. 

Sam snorted. 

“No one wanted to move you from your natural habitat.” 

“Ah, well, if that’s it,” Gabe responded easily. 

Sam chortled. 

“Sleep well?” 

Gabe rolled his head on his shoulders and gave Sam A Look. 

“What do you think, Rapunzel?” 

Sam shrugged, slight smile on his face. 

“Drugs in the kitchen,” he said. 

Gabe moaned pitifully again, letting his head fall back against the back of the couch with his eyes shut.    
“So  _ far… _ ” He whined. 

Sam hummed in response, spooning a bite of cereal into his mouth. 

Gabe cracked one eye open, and looked over at Sam. 

“Hey, Sam? Sammy? Samothy? Inarguably superior Winchester brother?” 

“Yes, Gabriel?” Sam responded patiently. 

Gabe paused for a second, causing Sam to look over questioningly. It looked like Gabe’s face was frozen, mouth partially open. Slowly, he narrowed his eyes. 

Sam raised an eyebrow expectantly. 

Gabe seemed to reboot, blinking, and looking away. He finally spoke. 

“Yeah, uh...wanna put those unnecessarily long legs to use and help a hobbit out?” 

Sam turned back to his cereal, taking a bite and chewing it slowly as though mulling over the request. 

“Nah,” Sam finally said. 

Gabe groaned, but stayed put. 

“You’re actually not going to get up to walk the twenty feet to the kitchen?” Sam asked incredulously. 

“I am  _ actually  _ not going to get up to walk the twenty feet to the kitchen,” Gabe confirmed. 

Sam rolled his eyes. 

“Okay, whatever.” 

Gabe leaned his head back again and pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing gently. 

“What are you doing up this early anyway?” He asked. 

Sam took another bite of cereal, 

“I’ve always woken up early. I’m programmed.” 

Gabe made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. 

“I think Dean and Cas are already gone too.” 

Gabe hummed, 

“Oh right, the macho men off to kill Bambi’s mom, right?” 

“Yep,” Sam replied with another eyeroll. 

Gabe stared at the bowl of cereal in Sam’s hand longingly. 

“My ass is actually stuck to this couch,” Gabe said. 

“Sucks for you,” Sam replied. 

Gabe exhaled, amused. 

“Having fun yet?” Sam asked. 

“Oh, bucketloads,” Gabe said, then scrunched his nose up at the memory of puking his guts out the previous night. 

“This trip is going to end in alcohol poisoning,” Sam declared passively. 

Gabe waved his hand dismissively. 

“Eh, six kids alone and unsupervised for the week, isolated and alone in the middle of nowhere? What’s the worst that could happen?” 

 

_ Gabe’s chest rose and fell hard. Each breath felt like a shattering punch to his ribcage. He grit his teeth and tried to move his foot again. Pain exploded in his ankle, spreading across his entire foot, leg, and up to his thigh. He felt it in his groin. It made goosebumps erupt across his sweating skin, and he shook violently. Yelling out, eyes squeezed tight, planting his face in the gravel below him with a sob.  _

 

Sam grinned back at him. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Not a shitty horror movie premise at all.” 

Gabe reached out and playfully shoved his shoulder. 

“Nope.” 

 

The deer was more than dead. 

It was mutilated. 

Half of its insides were strung out around it, like something had torn in and gone ham. Its head was completely turned around, facing the opposite direction it was psychically supposed to. Flies flittered back and forth from one meaty, bloody portion to the next, fighting over the bounty with the maggots wriggling around incessantly. 

Dean’s stomach clenched. He had a high tolerance for gore, but he felt himself take the smallest step back. 

“What the hell…” He said. 

“Jesus Christ,” Cas said from beside him. 

They glanced at each other, then moved closer to the deer. Dean crouched down closer, still far enough away to not be standing in the poor thing’s guts. 

“What...the fuck did this?” Cas asked, standing beside Dean. 

Dean’s eyes trailed over the deer’s brutalized carcass. 

“...Bear?” Dean more questions than answered. 

Cas made a sound in the back of his throat, half disgust, half musing. 

“ _ Angry  _ fuckin’ bear,” Dean said under his breath. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the deer. Disgusting things have a way of doing that to you. Captivating in a way that leaves you rendered enslaved.

“Well,” Cas said, moving to hold his shotgun over his shoulder with one hand, his other dropping down to Dean’s shoulder, “we found a deer.” 

 

‘

_ Charlie could see her breath, but the smoke seemed much too thick in front of her face. Clouding her vision. Casting everything in palpable fog. That was it. It wasn’t just Charlie’s breath, there  _ was  _ actually fog in...wherever it was she was. They were? She felt like someone was near her. Very near her, actually. Close enough that she could feel breath on the back of her neck.  _

_ She whipped around, but saw nothing. More fog. She thought maybe she was in a cave, but it didn’t  _ feel  _ like a cave. She was scared. Her heart was racing. She felt it pounding away in her chest like it knew something she didn’t.  _

_ She heard something. A hiss, roar, screech? She didn’t know, but she didn’t want to find out. She ran. Took off. Hope she didn’t run out of room. Hope she didn’t run into a dead end. She didn’t. She just kept running. Nothing revealing itself to her as she went. The same dark, foggy surroundings as though she were simply running in place. Hitchcock zoom.  _

_ But she had to be moving, because something was chasing her. Definitely chasing her. Definitely getting closer.  _

_ She heard the sound again. The terrible monster call. Closer this time.  _ Too fucking close _. She ran faster. And ran straight into something. She fell back onto the ground, catching herself on her hands. Looking up, her breath caught.  _

_ A man. Looming tall over her. Only it wasn’t really a  _ man _. It had the form of one. The structure. But its face...its  _ face _ … _

_ “Charlie!”  _

_ She whipped her head around, looking over her shoulder. Dean was chasing her. Trying to get to her. His face terror stricken. Now, Charlie realized her mistake as she looked back at the monster in front of her, growing taller by the second. She hadn’t been running from the danger. She had been running straight for it. _

‘

Charlie gasped awake, springing into a sitting position. She felt a bead of sweat drip from the nape of her neck and run down her spine. She sighed, leaning forward between her bent knees and rubbing the nape of her neck. She’d always had bad dreams, but that one was just  _ weird _ . 

She sat up, and breathed deeply through her nose. She didn’t remember getting into bed...but she didn’t really remember a  _ ton  _ from the end of the previous night...something about dancing? 

Charlie groaned, and put her hand to her head, pounding its disapproval at her decision to move against her temples. Too bad. She had to pee. 

 

Sam and Gabe were sitting on the couch when she came into the living room after taking a detour into the kitchen for some pain relief. She walked over and flopped between them. 

“Morning, Charlie,” Sam said. 

Charlie groaned. 

They heard the cabin door open behind them. All three of them looked. 

Kevin walked in, already dressed and smiling. He shot them a pair of finger guns. 

“Guess who just found some four-wheelers in the shed?” 

 

They didn’t end up shooting anything, though Dean didn’t seem too upset about it. Actually, they were both still kind of...shaken up over the deer carcass. 

The uneven ground jostled them along. Dean had removed his hat. They were nearing the cabin. 

Upon breaking the treeline, they saw a four wheeler fly past the cabin, driven by Charlie. Dean stopped the truck, watching as another four wheeler driven by Gabe rounded the other side of the cabin, chasing after Charlie. 

Sam and Kevin stood near the cabin. Sam stopped and waved when he saw the truck, walking towards them. 

Dean parked the truck and glanced at Cas before getting out. 

“We could four wheelers,” Sam said as he neared, grinning. 

Gabe rounded the cabin first this time, tailed shortly by a angrily yelling Charlie. 

“I see that,” Dean said.    
“We were waiting for you to get back. We’re gonna leave and ride these things around that field a little down the mountain. There’s only two, but two people can ride on one and we can take turns driving and stuff. Wanna come? You can drive the truck there.” 

Charlie and Gabe had stopped the fourwheelers. Kevin had climbed onto the back of Charlie’s. 

Cas looked over at Dean questioningly, conveying that’d he was down if Dean was. 

Dean looked back at Sam. 

“Sure,” he said. 

Sam smiled. 

“We’ll meet y’all there, we gotta put the huntin’ stuff away.” 

“Okay, see you soon,” he said, and turned on his heel, jogging across the yard. He climbed onto the back of Gabe’s ATV, shouting to the others the plan and how Cas and Dean would be joining them shortly. 

Charlie turned her head to look towards them, waved, then they were off. 

“That’ll be fun,” Cas said as they turned back to the truck to get their stuff. 

Dean snorted, “Yeah, but ain’t no way I’m riding bitch on one of those things.” 

Cas scoffed, exasperated. 

Dean and Cas went inside to dump their stuff, locking the guns back in their cases. Dean went into the kitchen, emptying a thermos of water and filling it with liquor. Cas walked behind him and raised an eyebrow. Dean glanced at him over his shoulder, as though sensing his presence. He grinned at him. 

“ _ Shh _ …” he joked, and turned back to the counter, spinning the cap closed on the thermos. 

“Dean-” Cas started, then stopped himself. Dean turned around again, holding the thermos. 

“What?” He asked. 

Cas looked at him. Maybe something in his eyes read “ _ concerned _ ” or something, because Dean gave him an unimpressed look. 

“Please, don’t give me that,” Dean said, annoyed. 

Cas lifted and dropped one hand uselessly in an aggravated way. 

“What? What do you want?” Dean asked defensively. 

Cas exhaled heavily through his nose. 

“Nothing,” he replied. 

Dean nodded, and went to move past him. Cas stopped him by grabbing his arm. 

“Are you okay, though?” Cas said, before he could stop himself. 

Their eyes locked a minute. Then, Dean shrugged. 

“‘M fine,” he said, voice low. 

Cas let go of him and stepped back. He said nothing. A second or two passed, then Dean grinned, completely shrugging off the entire thing. 

“Come on, let’s go.” 

And Dean bounced on past him. Cas followed behind. 


	3. CHAPTER THREE: The Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have arrived at destination fucked.

Sam headed off to take a shower after getting back from racing four-wheelers. Gabe headed to the kitchen, and Charlie trailed after him. Cas walked over to the mantle where someone had left the wireless speaker and connected his phone to it before turning and walking back over to the couch. He slumped down sideways on it, and after a second, music started streaming through the cabin. 

Kevin claims a spot on one of the couches before it can be taken over as Charlie and Gabe come back into the room holding snacks. Dean sits down at the end of the couch Cas is sprawled on. Gabe and Charlie take the remaining spaces of couch next to Kevin. 

“I kicked your ass, Bradbury, and you need to admit it,” Gabe said, smirking at the redhead, who glared at him. 

“I told you, there was something wrong with my ATV!” 

Gabe rolled his eyes. 

“Oh,  _ sure _ …”

Charlie groaned, and crunched loudly on a tortilla chip in frustration. 

Something shattered behind them. 

They all jumped. Dean all but leapt from the couch. 

“ _ Sammy! _ ” He bellowed, his voice taking on the deeper octave it got when he was either panicked or pissed. 

No answer from Sam. 

Dean stalked towards the bathroom, 

“What the hell are you do-” 

Dean stopped when he made it to the kitchen. By the fridge, far away enough from the counter to not have fallen off, was a shattered beer bottle. Sticky liquid was seeping across the wood floor. 

“What the hell?” Dean asked, crouching down to look at the bottle. 

“Dean?! What’s wrong?!” Charlie called from the living room behind him. 

“A bottle fell! It’s fine!” He called back over his shoulder. 

Dean stared at the bottle, then turned around and walked swiftly back into the living room. 

“Well I’m not cleaning that shit up! You two idiots were in the kitchen last, it was probably your fault!”

A chorus of indignant yelling followed Dean’s statement. In the kitchen, the overhead light flickered once. Warm liquid spread underneath the fridge. The jagged edges of the broken glass glinted.

 

When Sam got out of the shower, he found the living room empty, a faint glow coming from outside. He followed the light, and found the others outside, sitting in the patio furniture around the firepit, laughing and nursing beers.

“What are you guys doing?” Sam asked. His hair was still wet.

Dean grinned up at him.

“Puttin’ this firepit to good use,” he replied, then leaned down and picked an unopened beer up from the ground. He held it out in Sam’s direction.

“Come on, Sammy. We were just about to start tellin’ ghost stories.”

Sam snorted, and walked across the deck, taking the offered beer and then moving to sit down on the ground, backed up against the leg of one of the patio chairs, occupied by Gabe. Sam stared at the bright fire, eyes slightly irritated by the smoke. 

Dean took another sip of beer, then set it down heavily before clapping his hands and rubbing them together.

“Alright, so...let me tell you about the time I flipped off a ghost.”

Sam rolled his eyes, and cracked open his beer. He had heard this particular ghost story in all its perpetually embellished versions. He waited to see what his big brother would come up with this time.

 

No one was taking Dean’s bullshit.

“Yeah, sure, because you have sorority girls just fucking  _ lined up  _ to suck your dick,” Gabe said incredulously, taking a sip from his beer and shaking his head.

Dean grinned, “I mean...none of y’all got any proof that they  _ aren’t _ ,” he said.

Cas looked uncomfortable. Dean suddenly turned to him.

“Alright, Cas, you’re turn. Don’t tell me a serious, brooding guy like you doesn’t have a couple stories of creepy crawlies in the night,” Dean said with another grin.

Cas looked more uncomfortable.

“I can’t say I have any ghost stories like  _ yours _ , Dean, but...there have been a few moments in my life that have been…questionable” 

Charlie widened her eyes in interest.

“Go on?” She inquired. 

Cas looked around, suddenly aware of all the eyes on him. He took a breath and sighed. 

“One time...I was coming back from that summer job I had two years ago in Crystal River?” Cas looked around to see if everyone remembered. He was met with nods of affirmation. He continued.

“It was...about two o’clock in the morning, and I could hardly see straight. So when I saw a sign for an exit I took it and pulled over at this old motel that I could hardly see in the dark.”

“ _ Ooooh _ ,” Gabe said creepily, waggling the fingers of his free hand. Cas ignored him.

“I went in, paid for a room, and then collapsed as soon as I was inside it. I must not have slept for very long, because it was still dark when I woke up next, I remember, and…” Cas paused, his eyes suddenly far away, staring at the fire like there was something else in it that nobody else could see. 

The others became uncomfortably aware of their surroundings. Of the circle of light that the fire cast around them, and that outside that circle they could see nothing. Could only hear the sounds of the forest they knew was there. Every chirp of the crickets, every snap of a twig, every gust of wind...it left them with queasy feelings in their stomachs, shifting uncomfortably, holding tighter to their beers. Before the silence lingered on too long, Cas continued: 

“There was this figure...standing in the room. At the foot of the bed in front of the dresser. Just standing there, not moving.” 

“Were they looking at you?” Charlie whispered, then cleared her throat and looked away like she was embarrassed to have been doing so. 

Cas glanced at her. 

“Yeah, I think.” 

“What’d they look like?” Gabe asked. 

Cas shrugged, “A...person? I guess? I don’t know, it was dark, and late, and I probably had sleep paralysis.” 

Charlie scoffed, “You’re gonna give  _ me  _ sleep paralysis!” She exclaimed. 

“Yeah, Cas, you can’t shrug off your own ghost story,” Sam said, cracking up. 

“Watch him,” Dean said, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Cas leaned back against the couch and took a sip of his beer. 

“Alright, who’s next? Anyone else have any spoopy stories to share with the class?” Charlie asked, back to her chipper self, looking around the group. 

“I have a ghost story,” Kevin piqued up. Everyone looked at him. He shifted, “well, I mean...I don’t really know if it counts as a ghost story, because I never actually saw a ghost, but, I mean...there was this time, back when I lived at home, we had a basement, and--yeah, yeah, snigger all you want, but basements are a haunty cliche for a reason, okay guys?! Anyway, we had a basement, and it was a really creepy, dark basement, and we kept, like, utilities and cleaning stuff and storage down there and whatever, so, one day, my mom’s like ‘ _ Kevin, go and get me this thing from the basement _ ’ so I’m like ‘ _ okay, whatever mom _ ’, and I go downstairs and turn on the light, and it doesn’t work. So I grab a flashlight instead, and go down anyway, and as I’m going down I have this creepy feeling in me, and obviously I’m in a dark creepy basement, so I naturally just pass it off as that, but then when I get down there I start hearing this weird clicking noise-” 

Kevin had gotten the attention of his friends, 

“-and I’m like ‘ _ what the fuck _ ’ and so I kinda look around, and,  _ literally _ , I shit you not, I watched with my own two eyes as a whole bucket full of like nails and screws and stuff falls off the shelf from across the room. Like, nothing was over there. No air vents, no nothing. Just this heavy ass bucket of nails and screws that falls off the shelf for no reason.” 

“What’d you do?” Sam asked. 

Dean snorted. 

“He screamed like a little girl and high-tailed it out of there.” 

Heat rose to Kevin’s cheeks, and he took a sip of his drink. 

“Uh, yeah...basically,” He responded. Dean snickered. 

“That’s crazy, dude,” Gabe said, head lulling back against the chair he was in, “but let me raise you one with  _ this  _ story--” 

 

By the time they stamp out the fire and file back into the cabin, everyone’s a little bit drunk. 

Dean isn’t quite sure how it happened, but he ended up laying on the couch with his head in Cas’s lap. He stared up at the man, their mutual tipsiness giving them the courage to not break off the eye contact. Then Cas’s hand brushed through Dean’s hair, and his eyes fell closed. When he opened them, Cas’s expression had changed. Something was happening, and Dean could see it in Cas’s eyes. 

Dean froze. Went rigid on the couch. His eyes were locked with Cas’. 

“ _ Hey, Dean! Cas! You two want some Oreos?!”  _

Dean relaxed at Charlie’s interrupting voice calling from the kitchen. Cas’ head snapped up and turned in her direction. Dean’s eyes caught on his jawline, and he swallowed. 

 

Kevin let the water run while he brushed his teeth, staring at himself in the mirror. After a few seconds, he bends, and spits the mouthful of toothpaste out into the sink. He set his toothbrush down, and turned off the water. He heard a creaking noise to his right. He turned his head and looked, watching as the window above the shower creaked open slowly. He frowned, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and standing up straight. He walked over to the window, and shut it, sliding the lock into place. He looked around the small bathroom, a shiver going down his back just from the brief seconds the window was open, letting in cold air. He left, the bathroom door ajar. Slowly, with a click and another sickening creaking sound, the window swung open again. 

 

Charlie watched Dean and Cas from the other couch. The way they glanced at each other only when they were sure the other wasn’t looking. The way they tried too hard to remain casual, sitting next to each other. Charlie wanted to roll her eyes at how obvious her best friend was, but at the same time, she was sad. For both of them. Sad because Dean was so deep in denial, she could watch him struggle with it all the time. Sad because Cas was in the situation of being tit-fucked in love with him. 

Charlie sighed, rubbing her eyes. Wishing she had someone to be tit-fucked in love with…That sounded weird. Whatever. 

She got up, and left the living room, walking down the hall to the bathroom. Walking in, she flipped on the lights then immediately shivered. The window was open. She frowned, and closed it quickly before walking back out to the living room where everyone else was. 

“Who the fuck left the window in the bathroom open? It’s cold as shit in there!” 

She was met with questioning stares. 

“I swear to god I closed and locked it thirty minutes ago,” Kevin said, staring up at Charlie, a bit of fear behind his eyes. Charlie’s frown deepened. 

“Then how did it get open?” She asked, looking around at everyone again. 

Now, everyone started to look around. The same uneasy thought filtering through their heads. Did someone break in?

“...We would know if someone else was in the house...right?” Gabe asked, sounding only half-sure himself.

“Of course we would,” Sam answered pragmatically, “look, the window’s probably just broken. We can get some tape and tape it shut.” 

Charlie nodded, liking this explanation.

“We should check the cabin. Just in case,” Dean said, already sitting up.

“I’m sure everything’s fine, guys,” Sam said.

Cas stood up, and walked away towards the bathroom without a word.

“Should we have, like...an emergency plan? Just in case?” Kevin asked.

Gabe rolled his eyes, “That’s ridiculous, nothing’s gonna happen. We’re the only ones out here.”

“Exactly,” Kevin said quietly, but either nobody heard him, or everyone ignored him. Cas walked back into the room. 

“The window was...broken,” Cas said after a second, pausing awkwardly. Everyone stared at him. “I taped it shut. Everything’s fine now.” 

Charlie turned back towards the others, and shared a look with them. 

  
  


Charlie paused when she saw Gabe alone in the kitchen. She stepped up next to him, watching him make a bowl of cereal.

“Kind of a weird night last night, huh?” She asked.

Gabe shrugged.

“Wouldn’t consider it weird, really,” he said.

Charlie hummed.

“...Can I...Can I tell you something, Gabe?”

Gabe shrugged,

“I’m not gonna stop you.”

Charlie exhaled through her nose.

“I had this, like...nightmare? The other night? And...I don’t know, it freaked me out, and then last night,  _ that  _ freaked me out, and…” Charlie’s eyes roamed the counter top, searching for what she was trying to say.

Gabe looked over at her.

“What was your nightmare about?”

Charlie breathed out, and glanced over at him.

“I don’t know, like...I was running, and there was something chasing me, but then I realized that I had been running in the wrong direction the whole time, and--”

“Woah, Charlie, are you okay?” Gabe interrupted her rambling.

Charlie stopped and looked at him.

“Yeah…” She said. She shook her head, clearing it, “Yeah, I’m fine, just…me and my overactive imagination, you know?”

Gabe snorted, “yeah, I think you mean everyone in this cabin.”

Charlie smiled slightly.

“Anyway, why wouldn’t you tell Dean about it instead? Aren’t you two, like, _best_ _besties_?” 

“Dean kinda has his own nightmares to deal with,” Charlie said, looking down.  

Gabe furrowed his brow. Charlie looked back up at him, realizing what she’d said. 

“What do you mea--” 

“Nothing,” Charlie said as casually as she could, “I mean...I shouldn’t be scared, or whatever, it’s all just bullshit like you said.” 

Charlie flashed a smile at him, and walked away. 

 

Sam had physically  _ felt  _ Kevin’s silence the past couple of days. He hadn’t really talked to his friend since before they got to the cabin. So, that day, they went for a walk. 

It was cold enough to warrant a jacket, and make Sam push his hands into his pockets as they walked around the house, and a path through the trees that was near it, wandering directionless. 

“How’s it going?” Sam asked, and was answered with a nonverbal shrug. 

“You know,” Kevin responded noncommittally. 

Sam snorted, “Not really. S’why I asked.” 

Kevin laughed, “oh, in that case…”

Sam waited. Kevin didn’t continue. They walked a little more. 

“Are you...okay?” 

Kevin looked over at him strangely when Sam asked. 

“Why...wouldn’t I be?” 

Sam glanced in his direction, then back.

“Just, you know, you’ve been quiet and I...I don’t know. I know it’s kinda awkward sometimes because we’re the youngest, but--” 

“It’s not just awkward because we’re the youngest, Sam,” Kevin replied. 

Sam stopped. Kevin paused with him. 

“What do you mean?” Sam asked, brows furrowing. 

Kevin rolled his eyes, “I mean...it’s not hard to see that nobody really wants me here.” 

Sam stared at him, taken aback. 

“I want you here, Kevin, what the hell do you mea--we  _ all  _ want you here. Gabe invited us--” 

“No, Gabe invited  _ you _ ,” Kevin interrupted again. “Then you invited me along as a plus one, or whatever, and, I mean…” Kevin looked away, staring off into the trees for a second. “I’m fine with being the odd one out back home, where most of the time we aren’t all together like this, but...Sam...I know that I’m the least important person here.” 

Sam blinked. Slowly, he processed what Kevin was saying. 

“Kevin...You’re not…” 

“Don’t...worry about it, Sam,” Kevin said, raising a hand dismissively. Shrugging it off. 

Sam’s frown deeped, and he stepped forward. 

“You gotta know that that isn’t true, Kev,” Sam said. 

Kevin looked up at him, incredulous, then exasperated. 

“Okay,” he replied. 

“Kevi--” 

“It’s fine, Sam, just--forget I said anything, okay? I don’t...it’s fine, you know?” 

Sam stared at him sadly. 

Kevin jut his thumb back over his shoulder. 

“I’m gonna go back to the cabin, okay?” 

Sam didn’t reply. Kevin walked away. Sam turned, and stared at the ground at his feet. After a few seconds, he started walking forwards. 

He had no idea that Kevin felt that way. He guessed that maybe he  _ should  _ have, though. God, you’d have to be blind not to see it...because they did treat Kevin like the runt of the group, didn’t they? 

Sam sighed, about to turn around and head back to the house when he saw it. It took a second to figure out what he was looking at, a few more feet up the trail. Sam frowed, and took a step closer. A dead buzzard. One wing up and spread cockeyed. Whole body limp on the ground. Sam stared at it, face wrinkled in disgust, thoughts of Kevin leaving his mind. Poor bird. 

 

The sun was flirting with the treeline. Cas saw it out the window in his bedroom. He was sat on the edge of his bed. Someone knocked on his door. 

“Yeah?” He called, looking over his shoulder. The door opened and Dean walked in, shutting the door behind him. 

“Hey,” Dean said, stepping further into the room, “sorry, barely seen you all day,” he said. 

Cas stood up. 

“Yeah, sorry, just...tired, I guess.” 

Dean nodded, “yeah, I can relate to that,” he said. 

Cas stared at him. They were only a few feet away from each other.

“I’m sorry about yesterday, by the way,” Dean said, looking like he was trying his best to be nonchalant. Cas frowned questioningly at him. 

“You know, when we were in the kitchen and you...you asked if I was okay?” 

Cas’s expression evened out in remembrance. 

“Oh, yeah,” Cas said. 

Dean nodded. 

“Yeah, I just...wanted to apologise for being a dick.” 

Cas made a forgiving sound in his throat. 

“It’s fine, Dean. I understand.” 

“Oh,” Dean said, at a loss for what else to say. He looked around. Cas stared at him. 

“So this trip…” Dean said, trying for conversational, “been kinda weird.” 

Cas snorted, “yeah, a bit.” 

Dean shrugged, “makes it more interesting that way, huh?” he asked, chuckling nervously. 

Cas said nothing. He narrowed his eyes, waiting. Trying to understand what Dean’s game was. He took a step closer to him. 

“Good to be out here, though,” Dean said, still trying to play off casual conversation. 

Cas nodded. 

“We don’t really get to spend that much time together anymore,” Dean said, catching himself staring at Cas’ mouth. Forcing himself to look up into his eyes. It wasn’t better. 

“And what with Sammy movin’ away soon and everything, I just…” Dean trailed off, eyes now downcast. 

“Dean,” Cas said, closer now than Dean could comprehend. He looked up again, and their eyes met. Dean bit his lip. Cas watched, swallowing.

“I’m not really that fine, Cas.” 

Cas’s eyes flicked back up to Dean’s hazel ones. Finding the emotion behind them. 

“I know,” Cas said. 

Dean leaned forward, and closed the distance between them. Their lips met, and their eyes fell closed. Dean’s hand came up to Cas’ waist, Cas’s to Dean’s shoulder. Dean inhaled deeply through his nose. Cas snaked an arm around Dean’s middle and pulled him harder against him. Dean laughed a little breathlessly against Cas’s mouth, and then they deepened the kiss. Cas’ tongue was just darting out, seeking entrance, when the door burst open. They jumped apart, hearts racing, panting slightly. 

Sam was at the door, staring at them with a blank expression. Uncomprehending of the scene he had just walked in on. 

Dean looked at him, then rolled his eyes in a wide, full body arc.

“Jesus Christ, Sammy, you scared the shit out of us.”

Sam recovered himself, a bit of panic beginning to seep back into his feature. 

“Have either of you seen Kevin?”

 

No one had seen Kevin since he and Sam went on a walk that afternoon.

“He just  _ never came back _ ?!” Sam exclaimed frantically.

“I don’t know, I just haven’t seen him!” Dean exclaimed.

Sam snorted derisively, “yeah, of course you haven’t.”

“Hey, you haven’t either, pal,” Dean said angrily.

“Okay, not helping!” Charlie intervened.

“Charlie’s right, we need to find Kevin,” Cas said.

“Wonderful idea,” Gabe said, resting a hand on Sam’s shoulder. Sam looked over at him. Gabe gave him a reassuring look. “Dean, Cas, why don’t you guys take the truck and go look for him on the path? Sam, Charlie, we can go out and search the area around the house. Maybe he fell and sprained his ankle or something.” 

Sam nodded, and took a deep breath. 

“Yeah, okay,” Dean said.

“There are flashlights in the kitchen,” Charlie said.

 

Dean was jittery as he got into the passenger seat of the truck at the same time Cas was getting into the driver’s seat. He wasn’t allowing himself to think about what had just gone down in Cas’ room. No. He was entirely focused on finding Kevin, and making sure the kid was okay. 

Cas was silent as well as he started up the car, the headlights casting the front of the house in light before Cas pulled away, turning around and heading towards the path they had taken to go hunting the day before.

The sun had sunk now. Only faint tinges of dusky blue left in the far side of the sky. The rest was pitch black. 

They bumped along the path, driving slow with the windows rolled down. Dean kept his eyes sweeping the trees, occasionally calling out Kevin’s name. 

“The hell could he have gone to?” Dean asked in exasperation, slumping back against his seat. 

“I don’t know, Dean,” Cas said evenly from the driver’s seat, leant forward, eyes wide and searching. Dean looked over at him. Cas glanced back. 

“We’re gonna find him,” Cas said. 

Dean nodded.

“Yeah,” he agreed, “yeah, I know.” 

Dean looked back out the window. 

“Dean, about what happened in my room--” 

“I think we have more important things to worry about right now, buddy,” Dean cut him off immediately before he could finish speaking. 

“All I was going to say is…” Cas continued steadily, glancing over at Dean. Dean couldn’t bring himself to look at Cas. 

“I meant it.” 

Dean looked up. Cas met his eyes briefly. Dean opened his mouth to speak. Closed it. Then turned to look out the window again. 

Something big jumped out across the path. Cas swerved. All Dean saw was a flash of light bouncing off the trees--

“ _ CAS! _ ” 

\--and then he felt the impact. 

 

“ _ Kevin! _ ” Sam called out, sweeping his flashlight back and forth. They hadn’t gotten far on the narrow walking path by the house, the same one he and Kevin went on just a few hours earlier. 

“ _ Kevin! _ ...come on out, ya big lug!” Gabe yelled. 

“ _ Kev! Buddy?! Pal?! Where are you, Kevin?!”  _ Charlie exclaimed, shining her flashlight every which way. 

They walked on. 

Eventually, Sam came to a pause. 

“This isn’t working,” he said to the others, looking around like something--hopefully Kevin--could pop out at any moment. “Where the fuck could he possibly be?!” 

Charlie held her hands up, a placating gesture. 

“Look, maybe...maybe we all freaked out over nothing, yeah? Maybe...Maybe when Kev came back, he went and took a name somewhere! Yeah, that’s why no one saw him! And then maybe when you happened to look for him, he happened to be...I don’t know, taking out the trash! Or...going for a moonlight stroll! You know? So...maybe Kevin is back at the house wondering where the hell  _ we  _ all went?” Charlie tried. 

Gabe nodded, then shrugged. 

“Charlie has a point. There could have been a reason Kevin left the house, and if he gets back and sees that no one’s there, he’ll probably panic.” 

Sam nodded. 

“Okay...okay, so should someone go back to the house?” Sam asked. 

They lapsed into silence. 

“I’ll go back,” Charlie said. 

The boys both looked at her. Charlie nodded. 

“Yeah, I’ll go back to the house. See if Kevin is there, or if he comes back.”

“You sure you wanna walk back by yourself?” Gabe asked.

Charlie glanced back in the direction they had came. At the encroaching darkness her flashlight only seemed to illuminate. 

“Yeah...yeah, It’ll be fine,” she said, trying for reassuring as she turned back to the boys.

Sam looked unsure. He knew it was probably a good idea.

“Be careful, Charlie,” he said.

Charlie smiled at him, though she looked nervous.

“You too, guys. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Gabe just smirked at her.

Charlie shoved their shoulders playfully, turned, and was gone.

Gabe and Sam looked at each other.

“It’s gonna be fine,” Gabe said, sounding mightily sure of himself.

Sam half shrugged.

“If you say so,” he breathed.

They continued walking down the path. Every noise made them jump. A bush rustled beside them. They both whipped around, holding their breaths. Turned out to be nothing. They continued on. A little slower. Calling Kevin’s name maybe not quite as loud, but growing tones of desperation and fear. 

“I should have walked back to the house with him,” Sam said quietly as they walked, shoulders tense. 

Gabe looked over at him.

“What do you mean?”

Sam looked around, face contorted with worry.

“I mean...when we came out here and were walking...Kevin was saying stuff about how he felt...left out, and like he wasn’t important.” 

Gabe frowned.

Sam sighed.

“He’s my best friend, you know? How could I have been such an awful person to him?”

“You weren’t, Sam. This isn’t your fault.”

“But what if--”

Sam was cut off by a scream piercing through the night. The voice was instantly recognizable. Kevin. 

Sam and Gabe looked at each other, eyes wide. Then, Sam took off toward the noise, Gabe hurrying to chase after him.

 

“ _ Kevin! _ ” Sam yelled as he ran, tearing through the brush without much consideration for where he was placing his feet. 

“ _ Sam! _ ” Gabe called from behind him, struggling to keep up.

Another scream tore through the woods. Sam pushed himself faster.

“ _ KEVIN! _ ” He yelled again, pausing briefly to listen. His chest rose up and down hard with his panting breaths. He couldn’t see shit in the forest, his flashlight just lighting up trees and leaves that all looked the same. Gabe caught up to him, bounding into his side and clutching on to his arm, out of breath and doubled over.    
“ _ What...the fuck...Sammy… _ ” he said between breaths. 

Sam wasn’t paying attention. He was too busy looking around, trying to listen for any other sign of Kevin. He couldn’t hear anything. Gabe stood up straight. 

“Where the hell are we?” He asked, looking around.

“We’ve gotta go where we heard those screams,” Sam said, spinning on Gabe quickly. Gabe held up a hand. 

“Woah, okay, okay...Sam, we gotta think this through.” 

“There’s nothing to think through, Gabriel!” 

Gabe held up a finger on his hand. 

“Woah, okay, first of all...don’t use my full name in this context, please. Second of all, we can’t just chase after screaming, Sam! That’s how people get killed!” 

Sam’s eyes bulged. 

“You think Kevin’s getting  _ killed?! _ ” He exclaimed. 

Gabe closed his fist. 

“Okay, bad choice of...everything--anyway, we don’t know what’s going on, okay Sam?!” 

Sam looked at him like he couldn’t believe him. 

“Gabe...I’m going. With or without you. Kevin may not be important to any of you, but he is to me,” Sam said, then turned, dashing back through the trees again in the direction they had heard the screams. 

“S- _ Sam! _ ” Gabe exclaimed, cursing as he chased after him. 

 

“ _ Sam!  _ You gargantuan asshole, of  _ course  _ I care about Kevin!” Gabe faltered when he ran smack into Sam’s back. Again. 

“Jesus Christ, what the--” Gabe cut himself off when he saw what Sam was pointing his light and looking at. 

A cave. Like the Earth had opened up to reveal the dark, cavernous hole down into: 

“-- _ hell _ ,” Gabe finished his sentence. 

Sam looked over at Gabe. 

“Do you think Kevin’s down there?” He asked quietly. Gabe’s eyes met Sam’s. 

He did not want to go into that cave. He definitely did not want  _ Sam  _ to go into that cave.

But what was he supposed to say?  _ No _ ? 

He looked back down into it, and felt his stomach drop. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And...things have started happening. It's all downhill from here.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed! If you did, you can leave me a kudos or a comment! (helps me write faster, too) 
> 
> Tumblr: insidious-now


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